Eleanor of Viseu

Eleanor of Viseu
Leonor of Beja and Viseu; José Malhoa.
Queen consort of Portugal
Tenure	28 August 1481 – 25 October 1495
Tenure	11 November – 15 November 1477
Born	2 May 1458 Beja
Died	17 November 1525 (aged 67)
Spouse	John II
Issue	Afonso, Prince of Portugal
House	House of Aviz
Father	Fernando I of Viseu and Beja
Mother	Beatrice of Portugal
Signature

Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525; Portuguese: Leonor de Viseu [liuˈnoɾ dɨ viˈzew]) was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and later queen consort of Portugal.

To distinguish her from other infantas of the same name, she is commonly known as Eleanor of Viseu (after her father's title) or Eleanor of Lancaster (Lancaster, a name used by some Portuguese royals after her great-grandmother Queen Philippa of Lancaster). In Portugal, she is known universally as Rainha Dona Leonor. She is considered one of the most notable Portuguese queen consorts. She was the second and one of only two queen consorts in Portugal who were not foreigners.

Family

Eleanor was a daughter of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, and his wife and cousin Beatrice of Portugal. Her maternal grandparents were Infante João of Portugal and his wife and niece Isabel of Barcelos.

Eleanor's sister Isabel of Viseu married Fernando II of Braganza, who was later accused and executed of treason by Eleanor's husband King John II. Eleanor's older brother Diogo, Duke of Viseu, was also involved in activities that John II considered treasonous and was executed by the king himself. Her younger brother succeeded John II as King Manuel I of Portugal.

Marriage

Eleanor married John, Prince of Portugal, on 22 January 1470. She thereby became the Princess of Portugal. The bride was twelve years old, and the groom was fifteen years old. Her spouse was the only living son of Afonso V of Portugal and Isabel of Coimbra and heir apparent to the Portuguese throne. Eleanor and John spent a lot of their childhood together and were good friends.

Queen consort

On 28 August 1481, Eleanor's father-in-law died, and her husband became John II of Portugal, thus she became the new queen consort. The queen consorts of Portugal were awarded fiefs and villages to grant them independent incomes, and Eleanor was granted Silves e Faro and Terras de Aldeia Galega e Aldeia Gavinha for this purpose.

She founded what became the city of Caldas da Rainha, which was named in her honor ("rainha" means "queen" in Portuguese).

Eleanor and John II survived both their sons. Eleanor opposed the wish of her spouse to have his illegitimate son recognized as heir to the throne and appealed to the Pope, who sided with her and had her brother Manuel recognized as the heir of her husband.

John II died on 25 October 1495; the hypothesis of poisoning was never ruled out.

Queen Dowager

The Arrival of D. Leonor with the Relics of Santa Auta at Madre de Deus by Cristóvão de Figueiredo.

After her brother Manuel I succeeded to the throne in 1495, Eleanor moved to the palace of Xabregas, where she hosted the royal court and continued to be socially active. For a short period between 1500 and 1502, Eleanor's brother Manuel found himself childless, and Eleanor herself became the heir to the throne. As she had no children, she declined to make the oath as an heir in favour of her sister Isabel.

Eleanor was extremely wealthy and used much of her money for charity. In 1498, she spearheaded the creation of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia as confraternities with humanitarian purposes, especially the care of the poor, the sick, and abandoned children. The original foundations survive today, and more have since been founded in other towns and cities of Portugal and in the Portuguese colonies.

Eleanor supported the foundation of the Hospital Real de Todos os Santos (All Saints Royal Hospital) in Lisbon, considered the best in contemporary Europe. She also founded the convent Madre de Deus (1509), considered a great architectural work, where she spent many of her later years, dressed almost as a nun.

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Prince Afonso	18 May 1475	13 July 1491	Prince of Portugal. Died in a horse riding accident. Because of the prince's premature death, the throne was inherited by Manuel of Viseu, son of Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, who reigned as Manuel I, 14th King of Portugal.
Infante João	2 March 1482

Ancestry

Ancestors of Eleanor of Viseu

16. Peter I of Portugal (= 24)               8. John I of Portugal (= 12, 28)                       17. Teresa Lourenço (= 25)               4. Edward of Portugal                             18. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (= 26)               8. Philippa of Lancaster (= 13)                       19. Blanche of Lancaster (= 27)               2. Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu                                   20. John I of Castile               10. Ferdinand I of Aragon                       21. Eleanor of Aragon               5. Eleanor of Aragon                             22. Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque               11. Eleanor of Alburquerque                       23. Beatrice of Portugal               1. Eleanor of Viseu                                         24. Peter I of Portugal (= 16)               12. John I of Portugal (= 8, 28)                       25. Teresa Lourenço (= 17)               6. Infante João, Lord of Reguengos                             26. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (= 18)               13. Philippa of Lancaster (= 9)                       27. Blanche of Lancaster (= 19)               3. Infanta Beatriz of Portugal                                   28. John I of Portugal (= 8, 12)               14. Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza                       29. Inês Pires Esteves               7. Isabel of Barcelos                             30. Nuno Álvares Pereira               15. Beatriz Pereira de Alvim                       31. Leonor de Alvim

Sources